Chapter 12
Cassie
Passion.
I’d finally found passion with three men who disgusted me, at least the tiny rational part of me that still existed. I wanted to laugh, to scream to the heavens that being with them was everything I’d ever dreamt about. But the thought was blasphemous, going against my convictions.
Although I wasn’t certain those existed any longer.
My thoughts continued to drift to conversations I’d had with Garrison.
It seemed funny that by being around the three men, what I remembered had changed.
Maybe I’d blocked out Garrison’s excitement for being included in such an exclusive group.
He’d proudly shown off his ring, acting as if he’d been given a key to the city.
He’d told me about his plans for being a wealthy man one day and the good he would do.
One memory I enjoyed more than all the others were his plans for creating a special vacation spot for underprivileged families, a haven where the expenses were very low or completely paid for by investors in a special program.
He’d described the location in detail, going on and on about the tropical location where palm trees swayed continuously, and the scent of the ocean was prevalent.
A Disneyland-like atmosphere. As I breathed in the ocean air, I couldn’t help but wonder what he’d think about this place.
A haven for the richest of the rich to indulge in darkness instead of family fun.
My skin continued to tingle from their rough touches, my pussy clenching and releasing, my juices staining the insides of my thighs.
Every part of me ached, but more than anything my heart was exploding, jabbing a series of stabbing sensations deep inside.
I collapsed against the cool tile wall of the shower, trying to get my bearings.
I was still taking gasping breaths as water trickled over my shoulders, creating a swirling pool at my feet.
Cleansing. I wanted to remove the filth covering my body, but another part of me wanted to savor their scents. Somehow, I had a feeling my skin would continue holding a lingering fragrance of all three.
The water was close to scalding, the heat oppressive, but I doubted I would ever feel clean again even after scrubbing every inch of my body twice. Being forced over Alexander’s lap had almost broken me and there was no reason why.
Except that I was a bundle of nerves, incapable of shifting everything I’d gone through into a tidy little box, tossing it away.
My mother had told me a long time ago that the line between love and hate was so thin it was almost invisible.
I’d never believed her until today. What I felt around all three men left me broken inside, incapable of rationalizing anything.
It made no sense I had any sentiments for the brutal men, but the ugly truth was evident by the tingles still trickling through me and the butterflies in my stomach. This wasn’t at all what I’d thought would happen. I’d hated them for so long it had seemed easy, but I’d been fooling myself.
The bastards had left me alone for several hours, driving me into the darkest corners of my mind, wallowing in remorse and guilt for my actions. I’d never felt so all alone.
I’d been shocked when a young woman had entered my room and remained completely silent as she’d placed a tray of food on the dresser.
I’d barraged her with questions that she’d ignored, acting as if she didn’t speak English, but I could tell by the slice of fear I’d seen in her eyes that she’d comprehended everything I’d said to her.
If there was one employee, there had to be several more.
Alexander certainly couldn’t handle the maintenance alone on the huge resort.
Maybe I could get one of them to help me.
Jesus. I was continuing to fool myself that anyone would step out of bounds to provide any assistance. While hunger pangs roared in my stomach, the food had gone untouched, only one of the bottles of water consumed in its entirety. Even that had turned my stomach.
I twisted in the shower, slamming my fist against the tile as I allowed myself to laugh softly.
What the hell had I expected? I was such a damn fool.
The simple truth was that I’d believed I could handle something that I had no business getting involved in.
I closed my eyes, my muscles finally relaxing enough to accept the warmth tickling my skin.
Then I thought about the threats they’d received.
Did Daniel believe me after I’d told him I’d had nothing to do with them? Why should he? I hung my head, staring at the chipped polish on my toes.
After a few seconds, I was finished with feeling sorry for myself.
It was ridiculous and wouldn’t help me get out of the horrible situation.
Only my compliance would. I jerked off the water, shoving that thought out of my mind.
Whatever happened, I would stick to my convictions.
I grabbed one of the fluffy towels, still shivering as I dried myself off then tied the towel tightly around my chest.
I took a few seconds, gawking at the girl in the foggy mirror before turning away in disgust. I didn’t even recognize her any longer. When I opened the door to the bathroom, the sight of clothes laid out on the bed took me aback.
But the second I walked into the room, my blood turned to ice.
He stood in the doorway in all his glory.
Alexander. He looked like Adonis, his dark curly hair more tousled than before, the sharpness of his strong jaw covered by a slight shadow of stubble adding to his sexy aura.
While the waning afternoon sun managed to capture the deepness of his eyes, the fact they were twinkling indicated his amusement.
That quickly faded as he tore his gaze down the length of me.
When he returned to my eyes, the torrid of heat pulsing from his body toward mine was explosive.
“What are those?” I asked, staying right where I was.
The dress was turquoise in color, the floral print a further indication of the location I’d been taken to.
Tropical. Romantic. Relaxing. I felt nothing but blackness.
Shoes and lacy panties had also been provided.
What did the bastards really think? That I would fall for them head over heels?
What did they hope to accomplish? Unless they believed I was involved with someone else, a real assassin determined to make them pay for their sins.
That was the only thing that made any sense.
“What you asked for. Clothing.”
He’d changed shirts, the crisp white of his button-down rolled up at the sleeves, accentuating the ink covering one of his powerful forearms. I was thrown by just how good-looking he was, forcing myself to turn away. “If you expect a thank you, that’s not going to happen.”
“Suit yourself, Dahlia. Just as quickly as you were provided with privileged items, they can be taken away.”
“You’re such a bastard.”
“How quickly you can learn.”
We glared at each other for a few seconds until he turned his attention to the uneaten food.
“You need to eat.”
“I’m not hungry.” Every horrible thing I’d wanted to say to him, to all of them, tripped against my tongue. I couldn’t do it. There was no doubt I’d face his wrath and at this point, I needed to garner a certain level of trust if I wanted to get away.
“Suit yourself for now, but you will eat dinner with us tonight.”
Even the way he issued the words meant he wouldn’t take no for an answer. I wouldn’t put it past him to tie me down and force feed me. I continued glaring at him, making no move toward the clothes. “I already told you. I’m not hungry.”
Sighing, he leaned against the doorjamb, acting as if he had all the time in the day. “We can continue playing this game for a very long time if that’s what you’d like, but at some point, you will tell us what we need to know.”
“No, I won’t.”
His laugh was heartier than before, the deep baritone sending a shower of skitters down from my neck to my legs.
I felt dirty all over again. He’d been the first to strip away my veneer, able to sense at least one of my vulnerabilities.
He’d tasted all of me and the way he was looking at me now was a clear indication of what he planned in the future.
He didn’t argue with me, but we both knew I couldn’t win the fight.
When he walked closer, I backed away again until I finally hit the wall.
And still he continued to move closer until the heat radiating from his body became even more suffocating than what I’d experienced in the shower.
When he lifted his hand, curling his finger and reaching for my face, I darted my head as far to the right as possible, taking shallow breaths.
“Don’t touch me,” I hissed.
“I have every intention of touching you, Dahlia, just like I did before. I long to taste your sweet pussy and give you several orgasms before sliding my cock into your wet heat. You seem to forget that you and I have a history together, a beautiful memory that lingers in the forefront of my mind. Now, we’re creating more as a foursome.
Doesn’t that excite you?” He managed to brush his knuckle across my cheek and even though I winced, he refused to stop.
Excite me. Yes. Yes! My heart raced as visions of the incredible moment pushed into the forefront of my mind. How had the three of them broken me down so easily? The sound of his voice was so sensual, the deep baritone sliding over me, the soft velvet creating prickles dancing down my throat.
My skin crawled, but not because I was repulsed by his touch.
He excited me as he’d done before, the rich intensity of his aftershave creating flutters in my stomach.
I fought to keep from reacting at all, but the nervous tic in the corner of my mouth likely gave me away.
I could tell by his deep sigh that he was disappointed by my reaction.